


Not In Love

by lecafemusain



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 03:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14370270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lecafemusain/pseuds/lecafemusain
Summary: Asteria was only three years old when the Ravagers abducted her from Terra. Oblivious to her real family, she must find it where she can.





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter pays Asteria, his childhood friend, a visit - but what does he want?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! this is my first marvel fanfic and first fic to be published on here - so please be gentle with me! Peter has always been my favourite but there is never enough fics out there, so I decided to just go ahead and contribute myself. please please PLEASE leave me some feedback; both positive and constructive, as it will be so useful and encourage me to keep this going! thank you for giving this a go!

" _ **MUUUUUM**_!"

The boy's shriek echoed through the helm. With his eyes screwed shut, the boy felt the searing warmth of the unexplained light recede. The exposed skin of him arms and cheeks were now hit with an unfeeling chill. On his knees, arms still raised defensively above his face, he took a chance to peel his eyes open. Blinking a few times to adjust to the changed light, another sob wracked through his chest at what he saw. At least two dozen pairs of eyes stared back at him; brown, blue, green, yellow, red, an assortment of inhuman colours. The diversity of their skin, sizes and shapes could only suggest his captors were anything but human. _Aliens_?

Overwhelmed by the sight, the boy fell silent as his next cry caught in his throat. Unable to concentrate on any particular individual, he blinked a few more times in an attempt to confirm what he was seeing. _Where am I?_

A man (well, if he could call it a man) stepped forward from amongst the crowd. The boy tried to shuffle backward as it approached but found himself rooted to the spot in fear. The man knelt in front of him. He was blue. His eyes red. His teeth sharp as they spread into a menacing grin. The boy felt his skin crawl and bile begin to rise as the alien studied him. Then, opening its mouth, it began to speak in a tongue entirely foreign. He had no clue as to what was being said, only that its tone was harsh, hostile and - humorous? The boy shuddered as the group behind him let out sudden hollers and cheers, some sneering at him.

The blue man snickered again with a nod of his head, before taking him by the shoulder and pulling him off the ground. Too petrified to attempt to shake him away, the boy followed as the hand pushed him away from the group and down a narrow corridor. Refusing to glance again in the direction of the creatures, he now became more aware of his surroundings. It was cold. The interior was almost entirely metal, besides some blaring screens displaying intricate patterns and diagrams he could not understand. Various technology littered the space, looking far more advanced than his Atari console back home. It was like something out of a comic book. _Was this a spaceship?_

At the end of the corridor was a brown, steel door. Pressing a thumb to a bright light to the left, the blue alien opened it. Pushed inside the empty, bleak room, the boy ran to huddle himself into a corner. He wanted to get as far away from this creature as possible. His captor seemed to say something else to him in that guttural alien language, fixing him with another red-eyed glare, before turning and walking away. The boy started at the sound of the door slamming shut.

And now he was alone. Trembling with cold and panic, he pulled his knees to his chest. Questions swarmed his mind. He found it difficult to focus on one thought alone. _Do they know I am missing yet? Will they come for me? Why am I here? What do they want? Where am I? Who are they? Why? **Mum**._

Catching onto that final thought, he began to weep. Burying his head into the crook of his arm atop his knees, the boy began to hum, as he always did when he found himself alone and grieved. Hell, he had never felt so alone or grieved. Becoming lost in the melody, the boy allowed himself to release the turmoil that had been building over the past few hours.

"What are you singing?"

A voice broke him from his thoughts. A human voice. He stopped, immediately snapping his head to the door that he failed to notice had opened. In the light of the corridor, he saw a girl. A human girl. Although she worse the same brown uniform as the others, she did not look alien. Her skin was not blue. Her wide, curious eyes were not red or yellow. Her voice was high and gentle, not gruff and harsh. She could not be much younger than him, her petite height and youthful pallor made that evident. _What is she doing here?_

He sniffed, "I wasn't singing."

He had not meant to sound so bitter, but he was confused by the barrage of emotions he was experiencing.

The girl rolled her eyes and took one more step into the room, "Fine. What were you humming?"

The boy gulped, "Uh, it's just a song. It's by 10cc."

She nodded, urging him to ask, "Do you know it?"

She shook her head, looking to the floor, almost embarrassed, "I don't know any songs."

He was unsure how to respond. His mind was lost. It was then he observed she was holding a tray with something balancing on top of it. She noticed his brow crease as he looked at it, reminding her why she was there, "Oh!"

The girl moved towards the boy, placing the tray on the floor beside him. She caught on to the way his eyes widened and how he automatically scooted a little away from her. She was not offended. She understood. Letting out a sigh, the girl explained what she had brought him, "Dinner."

Food? Am I not a prisoner? Despite this confusion, the boy relaxed a little, seeing a dish and cup of water on the tray. Studying the thick, grey gloop on the plate, his nose involuntarily turned up.

The girl let out a soft giggle as she knelt beside him, careful to keep her distance and not startle him, "It isn't much, I know. Huhtar isn't as good of a cook as he likes to think. But you will get used to it."

 _Get used to it?_ He thought. _I don't want to get used to it. I want to go home. Do I want to go home? Nothing is left for me there..._

Seeing the boy in front of her had slipped into some sort of contemplative state, she cleared her throat. Extending her hand to him, she gave the boy a small smile, "My name is Asteria."

His red-rimmed, puffy eyes gazed up at her. Considering her outstretched palm for a moment, he slowly reached out and placed his hand in hers. With a weak shake, he spoke up, "Peter Quill."

* * *

"Quill?"

"In the flesh," he smirked, opening his arms wide to gesture to himself.

With a broad smile, eagerly Asteria jumped towards the man, flinging her arms around his neck. His arms wound themselves around her waist, squeezing gently. He lifted her off the ground a little, causing her to giggle. Peter grinned. That sound was so familiar.

The two stayed that way for a moment, soaking in the other's company. It had been too long. Pulling away, keeping her hands on his shoulders, the young woman looked up at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't pay my old friend a visit?" he frowned, unable to lose his smirk.

"Not without an ulterior motive," she stepped away and folded her arms, her eyes narrowed, "I know you, Peter."

His jaw fell wide open in exaggerated, feigned offence as he dropped his hands from her waist. She laughed again at his silliness before moving aside to let him pass into her apartment.

Stepping inside, Peter studied the small room. It wasn't anything special: a small kitchen, a desk, a sofa-bed - yet, it was so her. He couldn't help but smile fondly at the textbooks littering the desk and floor, the unmade bedsheets, parts of machines scattered around and a half-eaten bowl Neuron Noodles. She hadn't changed. He had missed her.

Asteria watched as he surveyed her flat. He looked the same, save for a few new bruises on his temple. She winced at the thought of him still getting into trouble. He wore the same burgundy jacket she bought him for his 21st birthday. Oh, and of course, his treasured walkman remained attached to his belt, the headphones dangling around his neck. He hadn't changed. She had missed him.

Picking up a textbook, titled ' _Complex Cosmos Communications'_ , Peter let out a confused huff before throwing it back down. He could never understand why someone would willingly sign up for three years of hell at the Nova Academy. Especially not when you could make a good living by their- oops, _his_ \- line of work.

"How is student-life?" he asked, walking to the window to check out the view.

"Not so bad. The work is pretty simple. It is mostly stuff I covered before with Kraglin. I have an exam coming up in two days. If it goes well, it will help boost my final grade. So, as you can tell from the mess, it's been a bit hectic with all the revision and deadlines."

He continued picking up her books, reading the titles before placing them back down. Peter was nodding slowly as she spoke but Asteria knew he wasn't paying any attention. Something else was on his mind.

Looking over at Asteria, Peter saw her watching him curiously, a somewhat doubting look on her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you really here, Pete?"

A warmth flooded through his chest at the familiar nickname. The man shrugged, sitting on her couch and picking up the bowl of noodles. Scoffing a mouthful, he responded, "I just wanted to see you. It has been a while."

As much as she liked to believe it, that was not Peter. No. He was never that sentimental. There must be more to it. The way he pat his hand against his thigh in a broken beat, as if to a song, proved his mind was distracted, if not partly anxious.

"You have had 18 months to see me. Why now?" she quipped, a brow raised.

His chewing slowed as he saw how serious she had become. It was useless lying to her. She knew him too well. He rolled his eyes and swallowed the food.

"There is a temple on Morag and I need you to help me break into it," he said, a little too matter-of-factly.

A heavy silence followed. Peter could not find himself able to look at her. He heard her sigh.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, bitterly.

Asteria strode toward him, snatching the bowl from his hands. He groaned as she tipped the remaining contents into the sink. He threw his head back in disappointment.

"Oh, don't be like that."

"Don't be like what?"

"That."

"That?" she whipped around to face him, a deep scowl on her face, "As in don't be disappointed and disheartened yet completely unsurprised that my best friend has finally decided to show up and say hello after so long but only because he wants me to help him commit a crime rather than because he genuinely cares about me?"

"Of course I care-"

"-About the units!"

"No. I did want to come see you. I missed you," Peter stared at the woman as she breathed heavily. He sighed, watching her timidly turn away from him, "Look, if I knew anyone else who had the ability to help me, I would go to them."

She thought about it, trying to brush off the flattery, "What is it?"

"What?"

"The treasure. What is it?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. But it must be worth something," her head slowly turned to the side, as if encouraging him to explain.

"I heard some crooks at a bar talking some ancient temple locked by a binary system that I don't even want to try to understand," he replied, truthfully, "I want to check it out but I have no way of getting into the place without you."

Raking a hand through her hair and fully turning toward him, Asteria sighed, "You know, the whole point of me taking this course was to get away from all that?"

"I know," Peter replied, remembering the day she decided to leave all too well, "But I need you."

She saw his posture had disappointedly slackened and how his hands were held together in front of him, as if pleading. Asteria almost guffawed at the way his eyes had turned down slightly, his eyebrows raising at the middle. She was always a sucker for that look. See, Peter had a gift when it came to persuasion. With one look or one line, you became putty in his hands. No one was immune, not even her. He never used the same technique on her as he did most other women. She was somewhat grateful for that. It made her feel like he respected her. There was no flirtatious flattery or money involved. Only sincerity - and those damn puppy eyes.

"One job? That's all?"

His slumped shoulders rose a little as his eyes sparked with hope, "Just one."

"But I have an exam in two days," she said, mostly to herself.

He gripped onto her shoulders and shook her slightly, "Asteria, you will be fine. You have been hacking the most advanced alien systems since your were five. You don't need to study. And you will be back in time. It will be in-and-out. I promise."

Asteria twisted her mouth in thought. Genuinely, she was unsure what reasons she had not to help him. It wasn't like it would be hard to. Binary systems were fairly simple to her. She was sure she could create some sort of device to crack it, no problem at all. Also, it's not like she hadn't done this sort of thing before. Hell, until she forged identification documents and signed up to the Nova Academy, it was the only life she knew. Peter was right, she didn't need to study any more. The exam, just as the others before it had been, should be straight-forward. After working so hard, she deserved a break. He gave her his word they would be back in time.

She did not want to admit it, especially not to herself, but Asteria had missed it; the Ravager life. The adrenaline and companionship (and unit payments). But most of all, she had missed Peter. He was the only true friend she ever had. The past year and a half wihout him had almost broken her. This one-off mission would give them time to catch up. She couldn't refuse that, could she?

"Fine," she surrendered.

"Really?" she felt his hand grip her shoulders tighter, as if to steady himself from the excitement.

Asteria could not fight back the grin that fought it's way onto her face, "Really."

Peter let out a strange noise, a hybrid of a laugh, cheer and sigh of relief. His arms moved from her shoulders to around her neck and crushed her against his chest. Smiling, despite the air being forced out her lungs by his brute-force, Asteria squeezed back.

She pushed her head back against his arms slightly, moving it upward to look at him, "Don't make me regret this."

"When have I ever let you down?"

She pulled a face, as if to suggest: _many times_.

"Just this once, Quill. And then I am out of this life for good."

"Sure. Haven't heard that before," he snarked, earning a slap to the chest.

Breaking away from each other, Asteria moved towards her datapad, "Right, tell me everything you know about the temple and its system."

She listened, making notes, as he explained all he had overheard and researched. Beginning to design a machine that would grant them access, she chuckled to herself: _what could go wrong?_


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'In-and- out', he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to everyone who has given this fic a chance and an even bigger thank you to those who have left judos or comments! it is so encouraging, with this being my first fic on here. if I am honest, I don't really have a plan for this fic and just seeing where it takes me - so I cannot wait to see where it goes!

Here she is," Peter announced, proudly, "The Milano."

Asteria felt a rush of memories flood back to her as she looked at the familiar orange and blue ship.

_"What do ya think, boy?" Yondu asked the ten year old beside him._

_"It's amazing," Peter said in awe, his eyes wide as they gazed at the ship in front of him._

_"Well, it's yours."_

_His head snapped to the blue man beside him, "What?!"_

_"You're a man now, Pete," Yondu explained, clapping a hand onto his shoulder, "And a man needs a ride."_

_Peter's mouth fell wide open, dumbfounded. His eyes moved back to the ship - his ship. He had helped to co-pilot a few Ravager vessels before but this ship was so big and new and- his? Yondu chuckled, pushing the boy forward so they could inspect it._

_The girl behind them snorted spitefully as she watched them walk away._

_"When do I get one?" she asked no one in particular, "Why does Quill get a ship?"_

_She knew the answer to that already: because Peter was Yondu's favourite._

_The man beside her sniggered, "What would you do with a ship?"_

_Asteria's head whipped around to send Kraglin a glare, "Fly it."_

_"Girl, we all know you can't."_

_She folded her arms defensively, "What do you mean?"_

_"You almost killed me last time," Kraglin recalled, "And the time before that. Oh and the time with the asteroid field-"_

_She sighed. That was true. She couldn't deny it. She was awful at piloting. The girl knew her way around the mechanics of a ship like the back of her hand and could most likely rewire a calcinator in her sleep, Kraglin himself saw to that - but piloting? Yeah, she was terrible. Peter had picked it up almost immediately, of course. He claimed it was most likely because of the video games he used to play before he was taken. Asteria had joked he could not be entirely Terran to have the skills he had at such a young age. She had been with the Ravagers longer than him, but she had never once felt a part of them._

_They were fighters and pilots and criminals - what was she? Peter had promise but what could she offer? She was small, meaning she could get into most spaces - Yondu always pointed that out. Sure, she could also hack her way into almost any systems and understand some of the most intricate technology in the universe. But as soon as Peter arrived, the attention was off her. At first, she thought it was because he was a boy. Being accepted as the only girl was tough enough already, so she immediately disliked the newcomer. She was over-shadowed in every way. How could she not be jealous? But after they spoke, she came to realize he was just as lonely as her. Just as confused. Just as lost. Over the years, that mutual understanding only deepened. But, besides Peter, Asteria never felt she belonged. And if she didn't belong in the only 'family' she has ever known, she questioned if she could ever belong anywhere?_

_Noticing the way the girl's demeanour had deflated, Kraglin cleared his throat and awkwardly pat her head, "We'll get ya somethin' else someday. Somethin' you're actually good at."_

_She shook away from his hand and nodded. It was not common for Ravagers to show sympathy, but she always appreciated Kraglin's attempts to console her._

_The girl was broken out of her dispirited state when Peter came running over to her, a broad smile lighting up his eyes and his cheeks rosy with excitement. HE threw an arm around her shoulders, gazing back up at his new ship, "Isn't it awesome?"_

_Asteria tried to smile but found the corners of her lips were caught in a jealous pout. Almost sarcastically she whispered, "Awesome."_

_"I need to name it," he said, not once taking his eyes off his new prized-possession._

_"What about that ship from that show you liked?" she suggested._

_"'Enterprise'?" he considered, "Nah, I was always more of a Wars fan."_

_"'Falcon', then?" she never had the chance to watch those films before she was found by the Ravagers, but Peter had told her all about them._

_He shook his head, scrunching his nose, "I wanna name it after the most beautiful thing in the universe."_

_"'Chatta-Chocolate'?"_

_"No."_

_"'Sunrise-On-Aakon'."_

_"Cheesy."_

_"'That-One-Waitress-At-Dex's-Diner'?" she teased._

_"Come on, this is serious!" he playfully hit her shoulder, fighting the blush that threatened to rush to his face, "What about 'Asteria'?"_

_It was her turn to hit him, a little more forcefully, "Ew, Peter!"_

_He laughed at her reddened cheeks and blocked himself from another hit. Most beautiful thing in the universe, hm?_

_Then it hit him._

_"Milano," he proudly whispered._

_"Huh?"_

_"Milano. Alyssa Milano."_

_"What's that?"_

_"She's a Terran actress," he explained._

_"Is she beautiful?"_

_The boy nodded._

_"That's sorted then," Asteria turned back to the ship, "The Milano."_

Asteria returned from her reverie to find Peter standing with his arm around her again, just as he had in the memory. He was looking at the ship with the same sentimental gleam in his eye, clearly reminiscing just as she was. She smiled at that.

* * *

Clicking the button behind his ear, Peter removed the helmet from his face. The planet, Morag, seemed even more desolate and decayed without the red hue of his mask. What once were towering, monumental structures that thrived with various lifeforms were now a landscape of ruins and mud-puddles and rat-like creatures that scurried about the place.

"You are about 50 yards away, can you see it?" Asteria's voice broke through his earpiece. She had remained on the Milano as he explored he planet surface, opting to keep watch for hostiles and guide him to the correct location. He looked ahead of him, through the wet dust to see the derelict building he had heard about.

"Yeah, I see it. I see the temple," he confirmed.

He heard her let out a short sigh through the commlink. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a familiar object, his walkman, and clipped it to his belt. Placing the headphones that hung around his neck onto his head, he clicked the play button. 

Asteria heard the music begin to play, echoing through the speaker. She rolled her eyes, "Really? Now?"

She wasn't surprised when she didn't get a response, knowing he would be too lost in the music to listen or care. So she allowed the sound to take over her as it bounced off the walls of the Milano. It was such a familiar beat. Redbone, if she could remember correctly. It was one of the tracks Peter would repeatedly listen to. Leaning back to rest against the table, Asteria could not resist tapping her foot along to the rhythm. She watched with a small smile as he red dot on his tracker began to spin and dart from one spot to another. He was dancing.

As his tracker approached the temple, Asteria leaned forward to the comms, speaking over the music, "Ok, do you have the device I gave you?"

"Yeah," He studied the small, silver item in his hand. The music came to a stop as he replied, "What do I do?"

"Hold it up to the and lock, then press the blue button on the side. It should start scanning."

He did as she asked, watching curiously as the device began to beep, the light on it's side flashing. Peter constantly found himself admiring Asteria's skill. It beat him how she was able to create such a useful and intricate gadget based off the limited information he gave her. It was impressive.

After a moment, there was a low clicking sound and the ancient door creaked open, revealing a dark chamber inside. At the end of the chamber, a circle of purple beams imprisoned a round, metal object. That must be the booty.

Peter allowed a small grin to creep onto his face. His eyes gleamed with greed as he stepped into the room and began to approach the sphere.

"Asteria, you are a geni-"

"Pete?"

The comms began to crackle, signifying a loss of connection.

"Pete? Can you hear me?"

Asteria noticed his red dot beginning to fade the further he moved into the temple and frowned. She began to type in various codes to the commlink channel and tracker on the Milano. Nonetheless, her attempts proved futile. The connection was lost.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, Asteria moved towards the cockpit of the ship. Falling back into one of the leather seats, finding they were just as comfortable as she remembered, she sat in silence. It was Peter. He should be fine. No use in worrying. All she could do was wait. 

Twirling a piece of hair between her fingers, Asteria let out a short chuckle as she let her mind wander. It was almost funny to her how quickly she agreed to fall back into this mess. The decision was too easy. It was even funnier how much she was enjoying herself. She had missed these mini-adventures herself and Peter would embark on before she enrolled at the Academy.

Looking back over the chair, she glanced around the ship. Her eyes glazed and mind swarmed with memories of the times herself and Peter shared on this ship. If anything, it was the closest thing she ever had to a home. The Ravager ship was where she lived as she grew up, sure. However, he never felt it was a place she belonged. But on the Milano with Peter... her heart leaped at the thought.

Turning back to the cockpit and looking out of the window, her stomach sank. Through the thick, grey dust clouds below the planet's atmosphere, a dark object was moving closer towards the surface. As the clouds parted, it becane clear: it was a ship.

Flinging herself from the chair, Asteia ran to the communication panel. Almost breaking the comms button with her urgent force, she yelled through the link, "Pete? PETER?!"

The blank static feedback through the line continued.

"Peter, can you hear me?!" she panicked, "There's a ship. Someone's here. Get yourself out of there or we are going to get busted."

It was useless. She couldn't reach him. Raking a hand through her hair, She ran back to the cockpit to see four unrecognisable figures making their way towards the temple. There was nothing she could do.

Letting out a fearful breath, Asteria sat back in the co-pilot seat and waited. That was all she could do. Trying to calm herself and the nerves swimming around in her gut, she began to hum. It was a song Peter often played, by a band called the Five Stairsteps. It was always her favourite. She found humming to be an effective way to relieve stress.

Asteria found herself doing it often when she was anxious or afraid. She guessed she learned it from Peter. He did the same thing, she learnt that from the moment they met. And so, rather than worrying and working herself up over the ship that had surfaced or the beings that came out of it or Peter's safety (her main concern), she let the tune take over her.

Turning her head to the side, she noticed a small object tucked away on a shelf that brought a smile to her face. It was a nice distraction from her worry, so she walked over to pick it up.

The miniature troll-doll with flaming orange hair grinned up at her as she held it in her hands. It was one of the few, random items in Peter's backpack when he was abducted. He had given it to her as a consolation present when she did not get her own ship from Yondu. It was a sweet gesture and the first time she could remember anyone giving her a gift. Asteria had cherished it for years, even naming it 'Trevor' before giving it back to Peter as a goodbye gesture before moving out to the Academy.

Stroking it's hair with her finger, Asteria was broken out of her daze at a resounding beeping coming from the comms panel. Peter's red dot had reappeared and was moving, at an extremely fast pace, towards the ship. Shoving the doll in her pocket and running to the sliding door at the side of the ship, she pulled it open in advance to allow him in. Looking out, she saw Peter, mask on, sprinting towards the ship. Her brief relief at seeing him in one piece was quickly dismissed when she she caught sight of the beings in black chasing behind him.

"Peter!!" she yelled out to him, stepping aside to let him into the ship.

As Peter leapt onto the Milano, he disengaged his mask and ran yto the cockpit without even a glance in her direction. He was too focused don getting them the hell outta there. Fast.

After locking the door, Asteria followed after him. Sitting in the seat beside him as he started the engines, she buckled her seatbelt. It was a habit she picked up after her disastrous flight lessons with Kraglin. Peter stole a quick glance at her and rolled his eyes at the seatbelt. He always taunted her about it and would have made a quip if they weren't in such a life-threatening situation.

 Looking out the window as the ship began to rise, Asteria saw the beings begin to assemble what looked like a phase-canon. They were in trouble.

 "Who the hell are they?!" she looked to Peter, who was heavily concentrated on the controls.

 "No idea," he quickly replied, flicking switches to his left, "But I think I pissed them off."

Asteria scoffed, then gripped the leather seat a little tighter as a blue laser bolt flew past them.

"You got the item though, right?" she asked, aware that this was probably not the most appropriate time to ask. But her more selfish, Ravager side got the better of her.

 "It's in my knapsack," Peter assured as he pushed the ship further into the air.

Just as it seemed they could get high enough out of range, a bolt hit the side of the ship, throwing it sideways. Asteria groaned as her neck began to ache after violently hitting the back of the chair.

"'In-and-out' you said. 'It will be easy' you said," she quipped.

Peter let out a grumble as he hastily piloted the ship side to side, avoiding the bolts, "Can we not do this now?"

"Later, then," she snapped before yelping as a bolt flew by - a little too close.

Asteria held her breath as Peter followed their route to escape. This way and that, he (almost) expertly avoided the hits. She trusted him to get them out of there - he always found a way out, no matter how reckless and risky that way may be. Reaching into her pocket, Asteria pulled out the troll and held onto it tightly, as if trying to ground herself.

Turning the ship around a sharp 180 degrees, Peter let out a boastful cackle as he believed he had evaded the figures below. That bulster was cut short when the sudden force of a water geyser hit the bottom of the ship, spinning it out of control. Peter lost his grip on the gear and flew backwards out his chair. Hitting into the ceiling, he yelled.

Asteria, who had remained in her seat thanks to the seatbelt, clutched the troll tighter so she would not lose it and turned back to look for him. Worried he had injured himself, she was somewhat relieved to seem him pulling his way back to the cockpit. Once back in his seat, he switched a couple more buttons and steered the Milano upwards into the atmosphere.

The figures below soon became nothing but insignificant specks as they flew out of range of their bolts. Asteria sighed, attempting to catch her lost breath, as they flew from Morag and darkness of space surrounded them.

She turned to look at Peter; who was also trying to retire his breath with his eyes closed. He groaned as he lifted his arm above his head in a stretch. He was clearly aching, as she was, from being thrown about the ship.

"Is now a good time to, yet again, boast that seatbelts are in fact essential to reduce injury when tavelling," she smirked.

He would usually reply with something witty and equally as petty, but instead he exhaustedly snickered. He returned her gaze, and cocking smirked, "In-and-out."

She guffawed, iriitatedly snapping back, "That was not in-and-out. That was in-then get chased by an angry mob of unknown soldiers and almost killed by their blaster bolt canon as we barely make it through alive-and-out."

Peter was like this. He never acknowledged the danger their way of life involved. He was reckless with little regard for his own safety, and that frustrated her beyond belief.

"You're just pissed because you know how much you've missed this," Peter retorted, looking away from her.

Asteria did not know how to respond. It did bother her that her life and everything she had worked so hard for was just put at risk and yet she couldn't fight the feeling of adrenaline that coursed through her veins. She had missed that feeling. He was right, in a way. But she was way tops stubborn to admit it.

The tension building between them was suddenly broken by a quiet voice behind them, " Peter?"

The pair snapped their heads back to the source of the noise. Asteria was almost grateful something had broken the silence, but that was ruined once she saw who had spoken.

It was a female. She was beautiful. Her skin was a bright shade of pink, decorated by intricate lighter patterns. The female's eyes were a rich gold; wide and round and glistening as she looked between Asteria and the man beside her from the opening in the floor. Her hair was dishevelled and sticking up in various directions - Asteria hoped it was from the turbulence hey had just experienced but she knew that was unlikely to be true. Asteria knew exactly what was going on here.

"What happened?" the female asked. She pulled herself put of the opening and stood in front of the pair, her gaze often flickering over to Asteria. She was wearing Quill's old t-shirt, Asteria noted - the one he wore when they first met. Slender, yet curved in all the right places. She truly was beautiful. At least his standards seemed to be improving... but that did not stop her but from twisting. _He hasn't changed._

Asteria glared at the man beside her as he stood. His face held a bewildered expression, "Oh, hey there- um..."

He clicked his fingers and squinted his eyes, as if trying to recollect her name. The female caught on to this and replied, dejectedly, "Bereet."

"Bereet!," Peter exclaimed, remembering, "Look, I am going to be honest with you: I forgot you were here."

The female, Bereet, looked at him, dismayed. Peter threw Asteria a nervous and shoddy attempt at an apologetic glance before awkwardly smiling back at the pink woman.

Asteria groaned and shook her head, disappointedly. _Yeah, he hasn't changed at all._

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! this is my first marvel fanfic and first fic to be published on here - so please be gentle with me! Peter has always been my favourite but there is never enough fics out there, so I decided to just go ahead and contribute myself. please please PLEASE leave me some feedback; both positive and constructive, as it will be so useful and encourage me to keep this going! thank you for giving this a go!


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